Rio Ferdinand this evening issued a formal denial of the misconduct charge brought against him by the Football Association for failing to attend a drugs test.
The Manchester United defender waited until the very last minutes of his 14-day deadline to respond to the charge, which is for failure/refusal to take an anti-doping test on September 23.
An FA spokesman told The Press Association: "Rio Ferdinand has responded to the charge issued on October 29. He has denied the charge and requested a personal hearing."
A date for the hearing will be scheduled in due course.